


Full Disclosure

by Cat_Moon



Series: Half Breed [10]
Category: Moonlight (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 05:46:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/949339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Cat_Moon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short but intense. In the midst of some rare down time in their life, Mick and Beth have an argument, and clear the air.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full Disclosure

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of the series, "Half Breed." As such, it's a good idea to read them in order. One follows from the other in what happens; they aren't stand-alone stories.

_There was a time when I had a lot of secrets. I could never have imagined a day when I wouldn't have so many, I guess after awhile it becomes a part of life you don't even give a thought to. Vampires, especially, guard their secrets with a single-minded tenacity. Lying is second nature; you lie to protect your secrets. You don't think about it, you just do it. Josef says "it's what we do." I took offense at that, but I realized we don't have that market cornered either. Humans are notorious liars. They lie out of greed, and embarrassment, and vanity._

_And they lie out of love._

_Me, I find myself getting more tired of lies and secrets lately. I long for truth; I'm tired of hiding in the shadows and lying about who…and what I am. With the few people in my life that I don't have to, especially._

 

XXX

 

It was a quiet night, a welcome respite from the upheaval of the past months. Mick's apartment was dark except for the flames of the glass fireplace and the glow of the television. The darkness which once seemed so oppressive, reminding him as it did of what he was and what he could never be again, was tonight warm and comforting. It was his life… and it wasn't so bad after all.

Mick watched Beth as she put the DVD into the player and settled back onto the couch with him. Two glasses sat side by side on the table, one filled with wine and the other blood. She grabbed the bowl of popcorn and tossed some into her mouth with a grin for him. They'd rented "The Thin Man" series, and Beth was finally getting a chance to sit down and watch them. Just a quiet evening at home, watching rented movies. Like any normal couple, untold thousands of which were probably doing the exact same thing right now. He'd discovered that even vampires could learn to treasure the small, seemingly mundane moments of life.

As the movie started, he realized he was still staring at her, and she'd noticed. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she said, smiling at him. She shifted so she could put her bare feet in his lap.

He took her feet in his hands, beginning to massage them. When she wiggled her toes at him, he couldn't help the small embarrassed smile as he studied the blood red nail polish on her toes – that in a moment of horrible playfulness Beth had coerced him into painting for her. There had been something so silly, yet vaguely erotic about it. In all his eighty-six years, it was a totally new experience for him. In his day, women usually kept their secrets, their mystique, and took care of their beauty routines in private. In today's world it was considered foreplay. Wasn't sure he'd get used to that, but he could honestly say he hadn't laughed so much in over thirty years. This was, come to think of it, probably part of her evil plan.

"So…" He took the opportunity to bring up the subject that had been on his mind. "Did you ever get those test results?" She hadn't mentioned it, but he knew she'd gone back to the doctor yesterday. He was slightly disturbed by her silence.

"As a matter of fact, that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about tonight. Turns out I've got an ulcer," she told him with a wry grin.

"Ulcer?"

"All us workaholics get 'em nowadays," she reassured him dismissively. "It's very in-vogue."

"So what does that mean, how do they treat it?" Maybe it was because he hadn't had to worry about the physical frailties of being human for so long that those kinds of issues left him feeling very uneasy.

"I've got some medicine I have to take, and some lifestyle changes, avoid spicy food, stuff like that. It's not serious," she assured her worried boyfriend.

"No more Kung Pao chicken," he told her with a teasing grin.

"Maybe – now shh, I want to watch this…"

So they watched the movie, with Beth making comments often. Most of them centered on how she still wasn't seeing how Josef thought they were like Nick and Nora.

"I think he's mainly seeing you as Nora," Mick explained. He could definitely see her spunk in Nora, and vice versa. The Charles' were a product of their time no question, yet ahead of their time as well, in the casual, sometimes rough way they related to each other.

"How so?"

"Oh, I don't know… pushy, headstrong, gets involved in her husband's cases instead of staying home like the good little woman…"

That remark earned him a kick from one of the feet still in his lap. "They are kinda cute together," she pronounced.

"Are you saying we're cute together?"

"That's what I hear."

"From who?"

"Oh, everyone. Friends. Family. Total strangers." She grinned. "But I can tell you if you ever punched my lights out to get me out of the line of fire, I'd have to hurt you." x

"See what I mean?" he replied as she kicked his thigh again.

They watched for awhile longer, till Beth broke the silence again. Mick didn't mind. As much as he enjoyed the movies, he found listening to Beth an infinitely more enjoyable pastime.

"Josef sees me as Nora Charles – I'm not sure if I should take that as a complement or not."

"Trust me, just the fact that Josef has a 'pet' name for you is a compliment," Mick told her.

"Maybe I should come up with one for him," she mused.

Mick nearly spit up the swallow of blood he'd been in the middle of taking. "Uh, I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"Be fun."

"Okay, Nora. Have at it," he indulged her.

"I think I'd rather be Lauren Bacall." She glanced over at the Fedora Mick had bought her, which was in its usual resting place atop the head of the dog statue by the window. Or, Asta, as Josef had recently dubbed it.

"You know who I'd rather you be?" Mick asked, moving the popcorn bowl from her lap onto the coffee table, taking her feet from his lap, and crawling over her to cover her body with his.

"Who?" she asked, playing along.

"Beth Turner."

She put her arms up and wound her fingers in his hair. "How about Beth St. John?"

His smiled in possessive agreement. "I like that one even better." He began nuzzling her throat, having forgotten all about the movie. Getting naked suddenly seemed much more important than watching an old movie. "Maybe we're the X-rated version of Nick and Nora." One hand moved to her blouse, intending to undo the buttons.

He was surprised when her hand came up, stilling his. "Um, there's something else we need to talk about," she began. "It's serious."

"Okay," he said, nervous at her demeanor, but deciding whatever it was he could handle it. He was a lot stronger these days.

"I mean… I never even considered it, never thought about it because I figured there was no way it would be possible, but of course it is possible…"

"Beth," he stopped her babbling by breaking in. "What is it?" He had to admit; now he was becoming more alarmed. Her distress was communicating itself straight to his own emotions.

She took a deep breath as if bracing herself. "We need to decide whether or not to use birth control."

Mick froze, then blinked at her. "Birth control??"

"Considering how I got here, we can't ignore the possibility."

Mick sat up, stunned to the point of being unable to think. It was the last thing he expected. "I thought all women were on the pill nowadays," he said lamely, for want of something to say as he tried to process. He was a vampire. Everyone knew they couldn't father children. But of course they sometimes could, if not Beth wouldn't be sitting there next to him.

"I'm not. Because of certain risk factors I have in my family, I made the decision to use other methods," Beth explained. "Of course now it's not as risky, knowing mortal illnesses aren't necessarily… well, so I could," she said evasively, biting her lip as if unsure she should continue along those lines. "Obviously it's a decision we have to make together, but I want you to know either way it's okay with me" She rushed on. "I mean… I'm willing to trust the Universe to decide our fate like it's been so far…"

Mick was having trouble wrapping his mind around this topic. Another thing he'd crossed off the list of his life. The thought was both thrilling and terrifying. If they thought things were complicated now… And if they'd both been too stupid, or more likely too busy, to realize the possibility before, when had Beth realized…

Then he abruptly put two and two together and came up with four. Beth, not feeling well, going to the doctor for tests… His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "You thought you might be pregnant, didn't you?" he accused.

Her face broadcast her surprise at his question, as if she hadn't expected him to put those pieces together. "I, uh," trapped, unable to lie, she continued. "Yes."

Mick stood up and moved toward the window. "So, all this time, while we were working on the Autun case, you knew there was a possibility you might be pregnant, but you decided not to share that information with me?" He didn't even attempt to disguise the hurt and anger in his voice.

She winced. "I didn't want to—"

"Worry me? Upset me?" he fired at her.

She nodded. "Get your hopes up, distract you, have you lock me up here while you went off on your own. "

Mick ran a hand over his face, trying to calm his anger.

"You know why," she insisted. "To protect you."

He shook his head. "That's not gonna cut it anymore, for either of us. If we're gonna be married, we need to be partners in this. No more lies, or half truths, or keeping things from each other."

"I just wanted…"

He didn't let her finish. "I'm tired of all the secrets, and dramatic revelations. It has to stop."

"Okay," she whispered.

He crossed room and knelt down beside her on couch, cupped her check in one hand. Trying desperately to make her understand how important this was to him. "I love you. I want to share everything with you, good and bad."

He saw the tears threatening in her eyes, and somehow, maybe through their connection, knew she was thinking of that sidewalk in Newark, when she'd finally broken through his last wall and he'd opened himself up totally to her. And later that night… at the hotel, his last barrier had fallen and he was 100 there with her. Man, and vampire. He wanted only the same thing in return.

Beth threw her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I promise, no more lies or secrets." She slipped her hands down to cradle his face. "I love you more than my life," she said, kissing him. "I just can't stand to see you hurting," she admitted.

He smiled and kissed her back. "I can handle it, I promise. I can handle anything… as long as you're with me."

"We don't have to do that anymore," Beth said, maybe mostly to herself. "I guess it just got to be a habit. No more secrets," she vowed. "What about the unspoken things that we feel through our connection and know without words?"

"Sometimes words are good, too," he said quietly.

"Full disclosure, huh? Okay, then, I have a question I need to ask you." He saw her bracing herself again, and wondered what was coming this time. It turned out to be the question. The one he'd been avoiding for some time now.

"I want you to… will you turn me?"

Mick closed his eyes briefly, resting his forehead against hers. Finally, he nodded against her skin. It was all he could manage. He felt her sag into his arms in relief.

He looked up at her with imploring eyes. "Not for a really long time yet, okay?" he whispered, tracing her cheek with a finger. "So don't be doing anything stupid or reckless, take care of yourself."

"I promise," she vowed, and the light of happiness in her eyes was nearly overwhelming. Here he was promising what had always been, for him, a curse, and she lit up like he'd given her the moon.

It had been a long, strange trip to get here, one filled with startling revelations and not a small amount of irony. Yet it was the sacrifice and patience of this woman that had saved him: she was his salvation, and his sanctuary. Forever.

They remained that way for awhile, not speaking, just holding each other. Until Beth broke the emotional silence. "What about the… birth control issue?"

It felt a little like jumping off a cliff, freefalling into space. Terrifying. Exhilarating. It made him feel more human than he'd ever felt when he was.

"Let's let fate decide."

And as the movie played on ignored, Mick swung Beth into his arms, and carried her up the stairs.

_We all love to keep secrets and tell lies. How can we forget the feeling of utter relief that comes with honesty? It's a beautiful thing. It was something Beth and I would have from now on. I want no more secrets with the people I care about._

_I have a feeling that convincing Josef to join the party however, isn't going to be as easy…_

 

finis.

**Author's Note:**

> x: Refers to a scene in the movie where a suspect comes into their bedroom with a gun and is about to fire it. Nick knocks Nora unconscious in order to get her out of the line of fire so she won't be shot.


End file.
